GC MacQuarie - TV Musings

The day has finally come when all Sherlockians can thank the stars that the two glorious leads in the BBC series of Sherlock have finally had enough time in their busy schedules to bring us a much awaited episode of Sherlock. Out of all television fandoms, Sherlockians are the ones that wait years for another glimpse. We are the ones who wait with bated breath, hoping the writers will announce another episode, just one, because they are so gloriously brilliant.

Moffat and Gatiss have done it again and welcomed television into the new year with another stupendous movie length episode.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Image courtesy of www.bbc.co.uk

The 2016 return of Sherlock takes a trip back in time to Victorian London, the exact setting as the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novels. Even though the previous episodes of this series have been cleverly adapted into modern London, there is something memorable about classic Sherlock.

Of course each of the episodes before it has been based on one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tales, however this particular installment is harder to work out. There has been much debate over exactly which of the original Sherlock stories this episode is based on, however there may be a reason for that.

From the very first scenes, the characters have various conversations regarding Watson's tales of Sherlock Holmes. In this Victorian London version of the show, he writes the tales for The Strand Magazine. Copies of The Strand Magazine are being sold on the street corner with real glimpses of the original cover in between newspapers.

Of course, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the very first stories of Sherlock Holmes for The Strand Magazine, so perhaps this episode was not based on one story, but several. There are many hints of Doyle's short stories including The Five Orange Pips and of course countless wonderful additions of classic Sherlock that we haven't seen in this series before. These include an overweight Mycroft and Sherlock questioning Watson on whether he brought his revolver to an investigation, Watson of course denying he has before admitting that in fact, it is with him. Not to mention the entertaining addition of classic Sherlock lines such as 'Elementary my dear Watson' and 'Prey continue'.

In fact, Moffat and Gatiss have taken everything that Sherlock Holmes ever was and turned it into a visual masterpiece.

Again, this series trumps any other with the outstanding visionary experience for the viewers and credit to Douglas Mackinnon for bringing the imaginings of Moffat and Gatiss to life. Each scene is perfectly executed. Cases are discussed in the comfort of Sherlock's living room until the camera shot pans out to reveal the room in the middle of the crime scene.

​Additionally, a scene consisting on a conversation between Sherlock and Mycroft is equally as appealing as Sherlock walks between sunlight that shines into a dark and dreary room. This is what film making is all about, and it is done expertly.

Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty in The Abominable Bride.

Of course, what would Sherlock be without Moriarty, and where would any of us be without Andrew Scott? He is, by far, one of the most intelligently psychopathic bad guys of all time. The story goes that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle despised his character Sherlock Holmes, so perhaps Jim Moriarty was in fact an equal that Doyle could use purely to torment Holmes.

This episode reminded me again how infrequently casting is done so well. Scott and Cumberbatch feed off each other in a brilliant game of who is the cleverest, their final conversation taking place at Reichenbach Falls, another reference to the original stories of Sherlock Holmes.